Confessions of Cruelty
by Mycha
Summary: "You know I've had to learn to be kind to you, don't you?" Blood explains his personality to Alice, in a round about kind of way. Not specifically romantic, but some aspects of the conversations may be more intense than a K rating.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts.

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<br>Chapter 1**

"Elliott?" the petite girl exclaimed worriedly as the not-rabbit ran by. The man in question looked positively green when he passed her, his hand over his mouth, and his ears laid back tightly to his head.

"Stupid newbie-hare," Dum began.

"Dumb sissy-chickie rabbit," Dee added.

"No carrots for him!" they both jeered in unison.

"And why is that?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrow in suspicion towards the twins who were following, albeit at a slower pace.

"Isn't there a gate in need of guarding?" Blood growled before either boy could answer. The tone in his voice told them now was not the time to argue and they both turned and ran for the gate without even saying their usual good-bye to Alice.

Alice looked up at the man, eyes questioning. Blood merely smiled reassuringly. "Would you like to join me for a walk, my lady?" His tone much calmer as he took the girl's hand and pulled it to rest in the crook of his arm.

"Umm.. Sure." It wasn't as if he had actually given her a choice, though she would have gone anyway if not for the image of Elliott running by. "But shouldn't we check on Elliott first?"

"He'll be fine. He just needs a bit of time to himself."

Blood led the foreigner out of the mansion and headed towards his secret rose garden. The day was bright and sunny, but not overly warm. Just the kind of day that Alice preferred. As they walked in companionable silence, she couldn't help but sigh happily as they entered the garden, her senses overwhelmed by the smell of roses. The hatter smiled down on his lover snuggling into his arm as he placed his free hand over hers.

"Alice, why do you think they call me the 'Mad Hatter'?" Blood finally asked, surprising the young brunette.

"What?"

"Do you think I'm insane?" he patiently rephrased.

"No, not really," Alice answered cautiously. At one time she had thought all of Wonderland was insane. After getting used to the culture, that belief had faded to only Blood being crazy. As she got to know him, though, he didn't seem any crazier than anyone else, just a lot more temperamental and violent than everyone else.

Blood could feel her tense at his question, which didn't surprise him. Though he had tamed his temper quite a bit around her, it was obvious that she still feared he would revert back. He knew that the topic had been completely unexpected, but it was something that he knew he needed to talk to her about if she was going to stay in the mafia's territory much longer. Elliott had simply, and unknowingly, pushed his timeline up a bit.

"What does the word 'mad' mean?"

Alice would have thought he was being rhetorical if it wasn't for the fact that he had stopped walking and was now looking intently at her.

"Well, uh.. Angry, obviously. Insane, which in turn can mean over the top or extreme…" For some reason, Alice felt she was treading on dangerous ground even though Blood brought it up. She wasn't about to mention the idea of insane being related to a mental disorder.

Blood chuckled, earning an endearing blush from the girl. "Ah yes, I can see it now. Instead of the 'Mad Hatter' I could have been the 'Extreme Hatter'. Somehow that just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"Then how did you get the name?" Alice felt much more at ease with the topic now that she had heard Blood laugh. It didn't hurt that his eyes didn't show any of the glint that would tie her stomach into knots when she had first arrived in Wonderland.

"Do you know how hats are made?" Alice shook her head in dissent as Blood led her toward a pair of benches. In her time staying with Blood she had gotten used to his switching topics to things seemingly unrelated and then tying them all back together. "Ah, then lets start there, shall we?" He graced her with his trademark smirk as he indicated she should sit then sat on the other bench so he could easily watch her.

"Once upon a time, hats were made of felt which was made with mercury. Hatters, those who made hats, would often go quite insane from the exposure."

"But you don't make hats…"

"Tsk. How rude, I'm not finished," he teased, pretending to be insulted. "In early versions of the game, there was no mafia and the role holder was a hatter. Before you ask, I have no idea why a role holder would be a hatter. He could have had some other role and making hats was a hobby for all I know. Being a hatter became a part of the role, and inevitably the role holder would go mad from the mercury. Thus the origin of the 'Mad Hatter'."

Alice sat in rapt attention during the Hatter's explanation. Never had Blood simply explained something to her like this. Usually he would tease her with bits and pieces and try to make her tie it together. Then tease her for having to explain it to her. Frankly, she was somewhat surprised that he would even know the origins of his role since every other role holder she had asked had simply shrugged and claimed to not have any idea.

"The mafia came into being some time later under one of these 'mad hatters'. The role mutated slightly again to include being the leader of the mafia. Since the role holder was both a hatter and the leader of the mafia, the mafia was often called the 'Hatters' or some such thing. Eventually, the mafia became powerful enough that there simply wasn't time to be a hatter and the mafia leader, so the role holder stopped being a hatter. They kept the title of 'Mad Hatter', though. They were no longer going insane from the mercury, but it was still an appropriate moniker."

Blood paused in his history lesson to gauge Alice's reaction. She had been amazingly quiet, for her, so far. He would have normally expected her to have tried asking a few more questions by now. The confusion on her face, explained her silence.

"Did I lose you?" He smirked, remembering the many times when he would talk philosophically with the young woman and she couldn't follow his line of thinking.

"No?" Blood raised his eyebrows at her response. "I don't think I'm lost. I'm just not sure that I understand why being called 'The Mad Hatter' would still be appropriate."

Nodding in understanding, Blood continued. "Do you think that people who belong to a mafia are noted to be particularly nice?"

Alice snickered. Even if they were nice people generally, when it came to work, she would have to answer with a resounding 'no'. She had run across several of the mafia boss' minions during her stay with him and they were always courteous towards her, but she had occasionally heard them talk about what they had done in the name of business. Nice was definitely not a word to describe it.

"So," the girl began, "the leader would have to be meaner or more unpredictable than his subordinates to keep his position. If that was considered 'extreme' then that would explain the word 'mad'… I get it now!" Alice beamed at the man across from her, childishly proud that she had been able to figure it out on her own.

The hatter nodded before continuing much more soberly. "I'm not a nice person, Alice. There is a reason I'm the most feared role holder in the land. By many accounts, I rank up there with some of the most feared hatters ever to play the game."

"Why are you telling me this, Blood?" Her questioning voice had turned almost to a whisper and she had bowed her so that he couldn't see her face. Alice had been living in his mansion long enough that he knew her habits well. She was scared, likely of him at that moment. They may know each other well, but it hadn't been enough time for her to discard the cruel words or actions he had heaped on her when she first arrived.

Blood moved to sit next to Alice, pulling her into his arms, her back against his chest. "You know I've had to learn to be kind to you, don't you?"

"Actually, I kind of thought our relationship had just reached some point where you became nice to me. Kind of like I had finally earned your trust so you quit being mean or something." Blood laughed, a deep rich sound that she loved to hear.

"No. I was honest when I told you I had liked you, even at the beginning. The others weren't lying when they warned you to be careful around me. If I hadn't liked you, I would have killed you within our first meeting or two. I was mean to you, as you say, because I enjoyed your reactions."

"You LIKED being mean to me? Calling me all those horrid names? Implying…"

Blood placed a finger across her lips to silence her before she got too hysterical or realized exactly how manipulative he was. "Yes, Love. I enjoy being cruel to people. It's what makes me the most feared role holder. It's what makes me a successful mafia leader. It's why I laugh at the twins antics when you are turning white from fright and Elliott is about to blow steam out of his ears. It's why Elliott looked so ill when we got back."

"What did you do to him?" Alice asked, her voice still soft but now almost threatening.

Pulling her back to him and wrapping his hands around her waist, Blood put his cheek to the top of her head. "I didn't do anything _to_ _him_. Let's just say there are days when my actions towards others are too much for him to handle."

"Blood!" Alice tried to turn around to face him, but he held her tight enough that she couldn't. Some things are better said in the dark. Some people need the light when the topic was dark. He would rather have told her this in the dark so he didn't see her reaction but he knew she would need the light to help lighten the impact of his words.

"It was nothing that you need to know about. Nothing that you would _want_ to know of."

"Then _WHY_ are you telling me this?" Alice was becoming fidgety. Blood could easily imagine the worried and confused look that was likely on her face.

"Because, Alice. You have lived with me for 5 months. You have heard things from my men that I would rather you not hear, and they were on their best behavior. You have seen things, whether you realize it or not, that I would rather you not have seen. Living amongst the Hatters is dangerous, but living with me is even more so. I can only hide so much the goings on of the mafia from you.

I love you, Alice. I don't want you to be afraid of _me_. Of what I do, of what I'm involved in, I expect you to be afraid of some of that, and I promise to try to keep you sheltered from the worst of it. That said, though, I would rather you have an understanding beforehand of the possibilities than have the twins running around looking to kill whomever put you in a state of shock."

"And this is why you wouldn't tell me what was wrong with Elliott?"

"Umm hmm. I would rather have had this talk before you ever saw him come home like that. He has a rather weak constitution for working in the mafia."

"Note to self: If Elliott looks ill, don't ask what happened." Blood snickered behind her.

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><p><strong>8 July 2011<strong>

A/N: Thoughts and criticisms are always welcome. I haven't tried fanfic for this world before, so I'm unsure how well I got their characters.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts. Quin Rose does.

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<br>Chapter 2**

_I am not a nice person, Alice._ No kidding? Like she didn't already know that one. The question that kept coming up, and she didn't think he had really answered, was **why** was he telling her that? Why was he telling her that **now**? It didn't make sense to her.

The foreigner looked down at the open book in her lap, contemplating giving up and simply closing it. She had joined her beloved in his office. He was working, she didn't dare ask on what, so she was reading. Or at least she was pretending to read. She had been thinking about their conversation in the rose garden earlier in the day and still hadn't been able to tease out the reason for it, so she had joined Blood in his office. For reasons unknown, even to herself, she found his presence comforting when her own thoughts were jumbled. It didn't seem to ever matter that the Mad Hatter himself was usually the reason behind her confusion.

She could understand Blood wanting her to understand the dangers of what he did and in extension, what danger she would be in. She could even understand him wanting to give her fair warning when possible so she didn't find out things she would rather not. _Not that he actually explained anything._ She did not understand, though, why he felt the need to tell her he wasn't nice.

_Unless he's alluding to something worse than you think… _The young brunette shuddered at the thought. She had heard his men on occasion talk about some 'job' that they had been sent on. She had heard whispers of punishments that had been carried out when someone didn't do what they were told. Seldom did she hear enough to be able to repeat it since every time she walked into a room, it seemed that all talking stopped while the men greeted her, but it didn't resume until after she had left.

She had asked the Tweedle twins, once, why a particular young man was missing two fingers, only to be told that he had made the boss mad. Alice had been afraid to ask if the boss, Blood, had cut the man's fingers off or if something else was at fault. To this day, the petite girl was afraid to think too hard about it. She had a sneaking suspicion that Blood had at least ordered the mutilation, if not done it himself. For all she knew, the boys may have carried out the order.

What bothered Alice the most, though, was that he had said he had enjoyed insulting her. Did that mean he enjoyed when he turned on her as well? Did he enjoy almost strangling her? Threatening to shoot her? Simply scaring the daylights out of her? Those thoughts caused another shiver to go down her spine. If he enjoyed that, what else would he enjoy doing to her? And how far would he actually go?

Alice had so many questions, and only Blood, the Mad Hatter, leader of the mafia, had the answers. She could ask, and he might even tell her, but did she really want the answers?

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><p><strong>10 July 2011<strong>

A/N: As always, thoughts, criticisms, and critiques are always welcome. And yes, this is multi-chaptered. I'll mark it complete when I'm done with it. =)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters in this story. They all come from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts and are owned by QuinRose

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<br>Chapter 3:**

"What are you thinking about, milady?" Blood asked as he signed yet another document. Alice had joined him in his office some time before, ostensibly to read, but she hadn't turned a page in at least an hour.

"Nothing," she replied, obviously startled out of thought.

"Really? Why do I not believe that?"

Alice practically jumped out of her seat when her beloved sat down next to her. She hadn't even noticed that he had gotten up from his desk.

"I have no idea why you wouldn't." She tried to be calm and not show how off guard he had caught her.

"Hmm." Blood did not sound convinced as he sat next to the young brunette, resting his arm across the back of the sofa they were on. He knew she was lying to him. In all honesty, the girl was horrible at it but her unease was a delightful distraction while he waited the few minutes it would take for her to give in and talk.

Eventually Alice sighed in defeat, her own insecurities finally getting the best of her.

"I keep thinking about what you said earlier today in the rose garden."

"Ah." He smirked knowingly. He wasn't at all surprised. Alice was far too innocent for Wonderland. "And what about it has you thinking so intently, young lady?"

"I don't know…" she sighed as she shook her head.

Snorting, Blood couldn't help the sarcasm in his voice as he replied. "You are thinking about something and you don't know what it is? Isn't that a bit odd, even for you?"

Alice glared at the man beside her. Honestly, there were days she wanted to slap him upside the head. While he was more teasing about it than when they first met, Blood still had a way of seemingly belittling her that would make her want to scream. Instead she settled for crossing her arms across her chest and turning away from the infuriating man.

Smiling to himself, Blood took a strand of her hair and twined it in his fingers, lazily playing with it.

After several heart ticks, Alice finally broke her silence. "Why did you have to 'learn' to be nice to me? Didn't you already know how because of Viv… er, your sister?" Something Alice had learned early on, much to her own personal embarrassment, was that nowhere in the house was truly safe from unwanted listeners.

"My sister's different. We grew up together, and she's older, so she learned to punish me when I stepped over some invisible boundary with her. It ended up causing me to be more formal with her." Leaning down to her ear he whispered lowly, "Besides, she _is_ the Queen. I do rather prefer my head attached to the rest of my body as it is now."

"Still…" Alice spoke at normal volume.

"It's easy being nice to people when you don't have to be sincere. It's fun to be snide and ignoble when people have to keep up the charade of being pleasant, or better yet, aren't quite sure if you are being truthful or not." Chuckling, he added, "Besides, you didn't react as most people did, which was even more fun."

Alice whipped her head around, eyes wide and indignant. Before she could even respond, Blood burst out laughing (at her, she suspected). "Think about it, Love. Everyone loves you, everyone coddles you. Does anyone, even now, argue with you? Insult you?"

"Besides you, no," she muttered.

"Our relationship was different. It was interesting. Someone else had to make me realize that I was pushing you away, though. Yes, how I act is different, and yes it works in some situations, but you weren't in a position to take any of it in fun, and I wasn't obvious enough in that I was teasing you." His voice was serious, but as he spoke, he had tilted Alice's face to his making the mischievous glint in his eyes abundantly obvious.

"_Was_ interesting? It's not anymore?"

The hatter had to take a deep breath before he answered. What he wanted to say would have been sarcastic and biting, definitely not a good thing now that she was wearing her insecurities on her arm.

"It still is, but it's different." Pulling her head to his shoulder, Blood wrapped his arms around her protectively. "For example, when was the last time I called you a seductress in public?"

After pondering the question for a moment or three, she said, "I don't know. Before I moved in to the mansion."

"And if you remember, I called you a seductress the other day in my bed."

"But you were teasing me then!"

"True." Blood snickered at her obvious indignation. "But you still blushed and squirmed and got mad at me for it."

"I wasn't _that_ mad."

"You were mad enough that you tried to hit me and leave the room."

"Humph."

"And that," he whispered in her ear, "is why it is still interesting."

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><p><strong>12 July 2011<strong>

A/N: Thoughts and criticisms are always welcome and encouraged. =)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Roses.

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<strong>

**Chapter 4**

"Elliott? Are you feeling any better?" Alice asked, still concerned about what had actually happened to the orange-haired not-rabbit.

Beaming at her, the man in question looked up from his work. "Much, thank you."

The girl couldn't help but smile at his reaction. It was so like him. "I'm glad. I was worried…"

"Aww... you shouldn't have. I was fine. Just saw something I couldn't quite stomach..." Elliott dipped his head, trying to hide his embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. The last part was said so quietly that Alice almost missed it.

Alice didn't say anymore, though she shifted on her feet as if she couldn't decide on something, causing Elliott to quirk his ears. "So… what's up, Alice?" he tried prodding.

"I was wondering…" Alice glanced his direction, biting her lower lip in thought. "Do you know how your role came about?"

Elliott cocked his head to the side, thinking. "I can't say that I do. I've never really thought about it though. Why?"

"Well, Blood was talking about how the Mad Hatter role evolved, but something about it keeps bothering me."

The girl was fidgeting, that much was obvious to the hare, but he wasn't sure why she was so nervous. "Why don't you ask him, then? Blood's a lot more resourceful and finds uses for all sorts of things I would never even dream of existing. He's probably researched it."

"Maybe…" she mused. Frankly, Alice was afraid to ask Blood. She had known that asking Elliott was a long shot but for some reason it felt safer to ask him.

"Well, if you're afraid to ask him, I might be able to help, or at least help you think it through." His voice was hopeful, Alice couldn't help but notice. Elliott enjoyed what little time he spent with the foreigner and he knew that she was often still frightened of Blood. It had actually become a somewhat common occurrence that she would want to talk to the hatter about something but would come to him first to work out what to say or how to say it so as to not rile Blood. It did make the March Hare wonder sometimes if the girl was at the mansion of her own volition or if his boss was somehow forcing her to stay.

"He talked about how the role changed over time, but I thought that the roles couldn't change."

"They can't, as far as I know."

"Can they mutate over time?"

"Hmm… I don't know. Depends on how much time I would think. If Blood said that they could, then I would believe him, but…" Elliott shrugged, his ears twitching slightly as he thought.

Sighing, Alice began to leave. "Well, no one else seems to know how their role came about either, so I guess I'll have to ask Blood." The tone in her voice almost made Elliott cringe.

"If he brought up the topic, I doubt that he'd get mad."

"No, but he'll likely think I'm an idiot child." The young woman wrinkled her nose at that idea. It often seemed like Blood enjoyed making her feel like an idiot, a child, or both. She really didn't like it when he did.

The next day Alice didn't talk at all through breakfast. She had slept in her own room, alone, the night before which had become unusual for her, but she didn't seem to be angry at anyone. In fact, Blood couldn't contain the smirk conjured up by her expression. The brunette seemed to be deep in thought, absentmindedly going through the routines of breakfast but not even noticing that anyone else was there.

After everyone left the table except the two of them, Blood leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and watched as she picked at her food. He wasn't even sure that she had eaten anything based on the amount that seemed to still be on the plate. Placing his elbow on the table and resting his chin in the palm of that hand, he finally pulled her back to reality.

"My my, young lady. What has you so lost in thought this morning?"

"Hmm?" Alice's head jerked up, suddenly in the present though still a little dazed. Seeing the bemused look on her lover's face caused her to blush.

"What are you thinking about, Love?" he chuckled.

"Our conversation yesterday."

"Oh? Which one? We had so many different conversations. Could it be the discussion on how to get rid of some of the carrot dishes from the menus?" the hatter teased causing Alice to squirm and glare at him.

"We didn't talk about carrot dishes yesterday," she stated quite confidently before cocking her head in thought. "Did we?" she questioned a bit more quietly, confusion settling in her eyes. Blood outright laughed at this, causing her to scowl at him. "I meant the one about how your role got the name 'Mad Hatter'."

"You're still stuck on that?"

"Well, some of what you said doesn't make sense to me." Blood merely quirked his eyebrow, so she went on. "Like, you talked about how the role changed over time, but I thought that roles couldn't change."

"They can't."

"Then why did you say that they could?"

"I didn't." The hatter smirked, moving his hand to cover his mouth as he continued leaning on it.

"Yes you did! You told me that one of the role holders had been a hatter but that it hadn't been part of his role initially, but eventually it did, then eventually it wasn't again and being the mafia leader became part of the role!" Alice was indignant.

"Maybe I lied." Blood could barely contain his laughter. The unconcealed rage in Alice's eyes was almost too priceless.

"Lied? Why would you lie about something silly like that?"

"Because I knew you would get mad and act like this?" The man fully leaned back in his chair, chuckling.

Alice blinked owlishly in surprise. Then blinked again. Finally she hurrumphed and turned her back on him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You are correct, Alice," Blood finally commented after several moments of silence. "Role holders can't change their role, but what their role is isn't always obvious." He had tamed his laughter enough that Alice turned slightly to hear him better as he spoke. "Take the twins for instance. Their role has nothing to do with guarding the gate. I have them do that to keep them out of trouble. If I die before I have them do something besides guarding the gate, my replacement will likely keep them guarding the gate. If the twins die before that replacement, my replacement will likely have the new twins guard the gate. A few rounds of the game and now suddenly the Bloody Twins have Gate Guarding as part of their role."

"If that's not their role, then what is?" Alice wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but she couldn't help but ask the question.

Glancing downward, the hatter smirked evilly. "You really don't want to know the answer to that, my dear Alice." The girl said nothing, hoping that he would go on. Finally he added, "Let's just say that there is a reason that they think killing people is a game and that they know more about weapons than any other person in Wonderland. It goes with their ultimate role."

"Which you say I don't want to know."

"Yes, which I say you don't want to know."

"Then what is your role supposed to be?"

"I can't keep my promise to shield you from the worst of the mafia's enterprises if I tell you that."

Alice's eyes opened wide. "That bad?" she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Blood leaned forward, jade eyes staring deep into her concerned emerald ones.

"In your eyes? Yes, that bad."

Without a hint of warning, Blood leaned in to forcefully and aggressively kiss her. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he roughly pulled her head back, causing her to yelp in surprise and pain while giving him a better angle and a more dominant hand. His free hand grasped her hip painfully as he swung around to roughly throw her across the table, paying no mind to the dishes still there, his mouth never leaving hers. The mafioso knew that he was hurting her, knew that this would likely leave bruises and maybe cuts, but as with most things he did, there actually was a point.

When the girl whimpered beneath him, he pulled back but didn't release her.

"Was that gentle enough for you?" he smirked, his voice low and seductive. Alice didn't respond as silent tears tracked down her cheeks. "I asked a question, young lady. It would be polite for you to answer."

"Nn..n..no," she stuttered. "That wasn't gentle at all. How could you ask that?"

Holding her wrists tightly, Blood leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Think of the worst that I have ever treated you. Then double or triple it." He waited a few clock beats for her to process what he said. "That is only a fraction of the difference between how I am with you, and how cruel I can be without seriously trying."

Alice paled by several shades but said nothing. Her eyes spoke enough of her fear.

"**That** is why you don't want to know, Love." Blood kissed her quickly, gently on the cheek before stepping back to help her off the table and into his arms. Her reaction told him she was a bit shell shocked at his statement. When she started shaking, he sighed and gently picked her up and carried her to his room, holding her protectively.

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><p><strong>11 Oct 2011<strong>

A/N: As always, thoughts, criticisms, and critiques are always welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts.

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<br>Chapter 5:**

Sometimes Alice forgot who saw the facade and who saw the 'real' Blood. She knew that she got the facade, the toned down and filtered personality. They had discussed this for several weeks after he had dragged her back to Wonderland. It had probably been the first time that she saw the mafia boss show a gentler, more reserved side of himself. It was definitely the first time that she realized he was more shrewd than insane.

As Blood looked down at the girl curled up in his lap, he couldn't help but smile fondly remembering some of those conversations. She would be fighting mad and he would be the one having to restrain his impulses. How many times would she have run if he hadn't grabbed her and forcibly held her until she calmed down? How many arguments would have exploded in their face and gotten other role holders involved if she had been allowed to leave while she was still livid? The hatter was fairly certain that he wouldn't have convinced her to stay in Wonderland if he had treated her the same way during the second visit as he had during the first.

As a strange side effect, whenever he scared her, purposely or accidentally, he would typically end up bringing her to his room, lounging on the bed, leaning against the headboard, and holding her tightly in his lap. Sometimes she would fall asleep there, sometimes cry in his shirt, and sometimes she would talk through whatever it was that was bothering her. It didn't seem to matter anymore that he had caused the pain, somewhere along the way he had also become the salve.

At that moment, Alice was wide awake, thinking. He could tell that she wanted to start asking questions again but for whatever reason was afraid to. Not that throwing her on the table at breakfast didn't lend to the idea that she should be afraid. Blood smirked at the remembrance of the look on her face when he had.

Personally, the hatter was debating whether or not to tease her. There were so many thoughts going through his mind that would produce such interesting responses, but he knew that now wasn't the time. While they would be entertaining to himself, they most definitely would not help the situation or getting the young woman to open up her thoughts to him.

A timid knock at the door roused them both out of their thoughts.

"Blood?" Elliott poked his head around the door. "There's someone at the gate for you. How do you want me to handle it?"

"Deal with it," the hatter growled as if that was one of the dumbest questions he had ever heard.

"Go, Blood," Alice whispered. "You have work to do. There's no reason for you to have to sit here with me." When he hesitated, she shifted off his lap and pushed him towards the door. "Go."

Blood glanced down at her, curled up on his bed, so tiny in it. Leaning over to grab his top hat, he leaned further down and kissed his beloved on the forehead before heading out the door.

Elliott started to follow the mafioso then turned back toward girl. Glancing at the retreating back of his boss, then back to the curled up form of a dejected Alice, he briefly shook his head before walking further into the room.

"Alice? Are you ok?" The hare's tone clearly indicated that he was worried about her.

Said girl didn't move or say a word for some moments. Finally she looked up at him, a look of hurt and confusion such that he could barely hold back his concern. With much more restraint than he wanted to use, he walked over towards her.

"Elliott, do you know your 'real' role? The real purpose of your role?"

Blushing the March Hare ducked his head and scratched at his ear absentmindedly. "Yes, mostly. But I can't tell you."

Alice nodded her head in understanding. "Do you know everyone's role, or just your own?"

Elliott tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, everyone knows Julius's. It would be kind of hard not to, I suppose. I know a little of what should be happening within the Hatter residence, but not much of what their roles are. I imagine that since Blood is the head, he knows my role and the twin's roles. Whether he knows anyone's outside of our territory, I don't know."

"Can you not tell me because of the rules of the game, or because Blood told you not to?"

"A little of both," he replied, obviously embarrassed. "Blood explicitly forbade us from telling you our roles, but we wouldn't tell the Queen of Hearts, for example, because that would give her an advantage over us. Though honestly, it's not something that we talk about in general."

Alice sighed. It was more information than she thought her friend might know, and it reminded her how much the 'game' dictated what the role holders did.

"Thank you, Elliott. That helped more than you know." Alice weakly smiled at him in an effort to convey her sentiments.

"You look like you are feeling better, Young Lady." Blood had entered the room quietly, half expecting Alice to be asleep. His servants had confirmed that she hadn't left the room all day.

Alice shrugged slightly, sitting with her arms around her knees and her chin resting on top of them as she looked out the window. Knowing that, in that position, she wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her, the hatter crept towards the bed, removing his gloves, coat, and hat in the process. Sitting behind her, somewhat, he teasingly trailed his fingers up the underside of her thigh causing the girl to jump and blush profusely.

Squirming away from him, Alice tried to change topics. "Who came to the gate earlier?"

"Just someone with a business proposition."

Alice nodded, afraid to ask any more on the topic.

Pulling her legs closer to her body, the foreigner shuddered. Though she couldn't see it, she knew that Blood was visually stalking her. His voice had been far too smooth and low for her to convince herself otherwise. When the bed shifted, she could barely contain her squeak.

Chuckling lowly, the hatter pulled the girl closer to himself, caging her in with his arms loosely around her.

"My, my, Young Lady. If I didn't know better, I would think you were afraid of me considering the way you are acting."

Leaning down, he began gifting her shoulder with soft, gentle kisses while his hands teased the skin of her bare arms with feather light touches. Inwardly pleased with the squirming that resulted from his attentions, he shifted to teasing whatever skin was visible to him.

"Blood! Stop that," Alice finally exclaimed, unable to take the torment any longer.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own home, Young Lady," he replied, dropping his voice an octave or two to a more seductive tone. "Besides, having you here in my bed should indicate you are wanting this type of attention unless you are trying to prove that you are merely a tease."

Alice flushed, burying her face in her knees.

Chuckling lowly, Blood continued teasing his lover's skin. He felt her pulse increase as he continued lightly teasing her skin and giving her little kisses until she started returning the attentions. To his way of thinking, he had been testing the waters to see if she had broken out of the state he had left her in earlier. Now that it was confirmed, he was more than happy to show her his true affections.

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><p><strong>24 Oct 2011<strong>

A/N: As always, thoughts, criticisms, and critiques are most welcome.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts.

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><p><strong>Confessions of Cruelty<br>Chapter 6:**

It wasn't often that Alice was able to go deeper into the territories. It amazed her how close all the role holders lived to each other and yet if Blood's territory was any indication, they had a massive amount of land and people under their sway. Today the mafia had business in this town and Blood had actually offered to bring her along, provided she promised to stay with her escort.

This little town reminded her of a quaint farming village with it's bare-wood houses and small shops. She couldn't help but smile the entire time she had been there. Being with Elliott made it even more pleasant. He was the consummate gentleman and while he took her to all the places he thought she might be interested in, he gave her the freedom to wonder around as she pleased without him hovering right beside her at all times.

Alice was happily looking over the flowers displayed in a cart and talking to the girl who was watching it when the conversation of two men nearby caught her attention.

"Did ya 'ear about Jocelyn when 'e went to the Hatter's residence?" a stout older man whispered loudly to his companion. Mutely the second man shook his head as he looked over the worn checkerboard between the two of them.

Making his move, he looked up at the first before commenting. "I told 'im not to bother. Not like Dupree or his men are likely to give 'im an extension just 'cause he asked."

"Way I heard it, the man gave Jocelyn an earful then said 'e'd come and see fer hi'self."

"What?" The startled man nearly fell off his bench at the other's words. "Dupree's mad as an adder, and that boy invited the snake into his own den? What was he thinkin'?"

"Who knows, but 'e likely slit 'is own neck with that one. That Dupree 'as a sharp memory an' a venomous tongue. If Jocelyn 's able to convince the adder to extend his payments, the man 'ill make sure new contract is …"

The two men abruptly dropped their conversation when one looked up. Alice had been covertly watching them and noticed that his face had become ashen and seemed to pale even more as he watched something. Alice turned to see what they were looking at and noticed Elliott heading her way.

"Alice! There you are," he beamed. "Are you about ready to go? Anything else you want before we leave? Blood should be back shortly."

"Yes, Elliott. I'm ready," she replied cheerfully as she turned to the girl and payed for the flower she held. As she trotted out towards her escort, she couldn't help but glance back at the gossiping men. She could tell when they realized just where she had come from and had likely been able to hear them. They both turned so pale that had they been women, she was sure they would have fainted. Her escort paid them no heed.

"So, how did you like this place?" Elliott asked when Alice was back by his side.

"It is very nice. Very peaceful."

Alice was only half listening to Elliott while he went on about what his favorite things were about this town and pointing out various things as they headed back to where they were to meet up with Blood and the twins. In her mind, she kept thinking about what the two men had been saying.

_"Is that why Elliott escorted me? So that he wouldn't be around when Blood did something that he wouldn't be able to stomach?"_ she mused to herself. _"Is that why I was allowed to come at all, so that Elliott would have a reason not to be with Blood while he was talking to that Jocelyn that the men were referring to?"_ The thought alone sent chills down her back, causing her to noticeably shiver.

"And what, my dear Alice, has you looking so pensive? I thought you would enjoy being here." Blood's face was almost devoid of emotion, though he looked to be teasing her somewhat.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I did enjoy being here. It has been quite a lovely afternoon."

Blood started to glare at her response. It was obvious to him that something was bothering her, but there was something about the look on her face when she spoke that told him now was not the place to push it any further.

"I'm glad to hear it, Love," he purred as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "And what is this?"

Alice almost sighed in relief when Blood turned his attention to the plant that she held. "It's a plant."

"Really? I don't think I would have guessed that. A rose plant, perhaps?"

"Maybe." The twins were running around making a ruckus, but for once Blood and Alice were both ignoring them as they made their way into the carriage.

"You didn't have to buy yourself a rose bush, Alice. I have more than enough around if you wanted one of your own."

"It's for you. All of your roses are red, so I thought this would be a nice addition to your collection, especially since it is NOT red."

"Not red, eh? Then what color is it, dear?"

"That is a surprise. You'll just have to wait until it blooms to find out." Alice smirked. Blood was obviously enjoying their teasing banter, which was nice. She liked it when they could be companionable like this.

Blood had taken the flower pot from her when he helped her into the carriage, so now she curled up close to him, happy that he seemed to be in a good – even playful – mood. The hatter smirked as he handed the pot to Elliott before wrapping his arm around the petite girl and tucking her close to his side.

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><p><strong>2 December 2011<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any characters from Heart no Kuni no Alice/Alice in the Country of Hearts, but it has been fun playing in their world.

**Confessions of Cruelty  
>Chapter 7:<strong>

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><p>Blood watched Alice out of the corner of his eye as he worked on his paperwork. She had seemed happy on the way home, listening to the twins talk about their new knives that they had gotten while he had been in 'negotiations' and joining in with Elliott talking about the tea shop that they stopped in and had lunch at. That was the problem, though – she 'seemed' and he could tell it was a farce.<p>

He believed she did genuinely enjoy the trip, and with most of the stories she shared, it was obvious that she had. It was when things were silent that he noticed something had happened. It was the way she avoided talking about some parts of their afternoon. The mafioso could easily allow himself to become jealous, presuming that she was silent because she had been doing something that she shouldn't have, but something about her manner told him that wasn't the case. Likely he should simply ask her, but sometimes it was fun to let his mind wander and imagine what she was thinking.

Alice got up with an annoyed huff, practically stomping away from the sofa to put her book back. Surprisingly, she returned with a dictionary and angrily flipped through the pages, obviously looking for something specific. Blood could barely swallow his chuckles when the girl growled audibly at the book before slamming it shut.

"My my, Young Lady. What did that poor decrepit old tome do to you to deserve such harsh treatment?"

"It didn't have the answer to my question," Alice grumped in response, causing Blood to chuckle at her petulance.

"And what question were you hoping to find an answer for, Love?" Blood had gracefully moved to sit beside her allowing him to peer intently at her.

"It's nothing. Just something I heard earlier," she responded, ducking her head.

"Tsk. It's obviously something if you are abusing my poor dictionary just because it isn't an encyclopedia."

When Alice didn't reply, the hatter took her chin and forced her to look up at him. The darkening blush on her cheeks intrigued him. "Ah, you naughty girl. Looking up something less than innocent, were we?"

"No! I was only looking up..." Realizing she almost said it, Alice quickly shut her mouth and turned away from Blood.

"Only looking up...?" When his prodding didn't entice his lover to answer, he leaned back against the armrest of the sofa pretending to be thinking. "Hmm... well, you were in the beginning of the book, so likely a word beginning with A or B, maybe even C. What words could have been there that would cause you such embarrassment? Bondage?"

"Of course not."

"Bestiality?"

"Blood!" the girl practically shouted her denial as she turned towards him, indignant that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Do you even know what that is, my dear?" Blood smirked as he leaned in close to Alice, enjoying her fidgeting.

"Mmm, not exactly," she practically whispered.

"I thought not. Don't bother looking it up. You're mine. I'm not interested in sharing." Blood smirked as a look of embarrassment crossed her face. "If you don't tell me, I'll have to keep guessing and I'm sure that I could come up with far more embarrassing words than that."

The slight slump of her shoulders told Blood that he had won. With a heavy sigh, she finally replied.

"Adder. I was looking up adder."

Blood tilted his head and looked at her curiously. "An adder is a type of viper. Why would you go through all of this to not ask what that was?"

"It was something I heard today. The phrase didn't make sense to me and I was looking to see if there was another meaning for it besides a snake."

"And the phrase would be..."

Glancing guiltily, she answered, "Mad as an adder. Based on the rest of the conversation, I know they were talking about you, but I hadn't heard that phrase before."

Blood nodded knowingly. "Ah, yes. Some of the more backwoods people still call me that. Supposedly 'Mad as a Hatter' actually came from the phrase 'mad as an adder'."

"But I don't get it. Mad as a snake?"

"No, my dear Alice. Venomous as a viper. It means to be sharp tongued, cruel and violent." Blood's demeanor had changed from teasing to something more sober as he explained the phrase.

The two sat in silence for some time, Blood watching Alice through half closed eyes, Alice sitting primly, staring at her clasped hands.

"Blood?"

"Yes?"

"Is that why you had Elliott escort me today? Were you doing something that he wouldn't be able to stomach?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation in his response, no teasing, no anger. The directness of his answer caused a chill to run down Alice's spine as she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Several minutes passed with neither speaking. Finally, Alice looked over at Blood.

"Well, I think that answered my question. I'm going to go and let you get back to work."

Blood watched her briefly as she made her way to the door. Her posture telling him something was still wrong. Not liking this response he silently got up and followed her, pushing the door shut when she began to open it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against himself, her back to his chest.

"What are you thinking, Alice?" he practically purred in her ear, trying to coax her secret out.

"Honestly? I'm trying not to."

"But you are and I'm not letting you leave until I know what is bothering you so much." The hatter had an idea or two as to what was disturbing his young lover, but he wanted her to say it herself.

"Why do I feel as if it's worse to be called a 'mad adder' than to be called a 'mad hatter'? Logically it shouldn't, but for some reason it does."

"Because it is. Snakes, and especially vipers, are dangerous creatures. Children are taught to fear them so much so that most become adults who fear them. Very few people innately fear a hat. The phrase has many layers to its meaning."

"All of which are dangerous," Alice whispered.

"Yes, Love, all of which are dangerous. People don't fear me because I'm crazy or insane. They fear me because I'm cruel. They fear me because they know that crossing me is _very_ dangerous." While speaking, Blood had begun to slowly rub his thumb across her stomach, a short, soft movement he had found that seemingly calmed Alice without her realizing it when she was agitated.

"Which is it?"

"Hmm?"

Alice pursed her lips slightly before explaining herself. "So did 'Mad Hatter' come from the story you told me before, or did it come from 'mad as an adder'?"

"Ah," Blood intoned. "That is a good question. The story I told you before is true, and many people like the idea that it is 'mad' as in 'insane'. It allows them to sleep better at night. The fact of the matter, my dear Alice, is that moniker likely comes from the 'mad as an adder' phrase. The hands of the mafia are soaked in blood and have been for generations upon generations and it's not because they are insane."

"It's because they are dangerous," Alice finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Deceptively so."

Blood could feel Alice retreating into herself, causing him to hold her to himself a little tighter. This was going to be the moment of truth. In all honesty, he had been afraid of this moment for quite some time. It was too late for her to go back to her world, but if she couldn't stomach the idea of being with a monster such as himself, he would have to let her go back to the others and relinquish his claim on her. None of them would be good enough for her, in his personal opinion, but aside from that damnable knight, they would all be a good deal safer than he was and they would take care of her.

Both occupants of the library could feel the heavy atmosphere around them. Alice felt she could barely breathe. She seriously thought about running, but standing as they were, she felt safe and protected. It didn't help that she was madly in love with the Mad Hatter. She couldn't leave him now even if he wanted her to. The girl simply loved him too much. They just needed to change the topic so that she could breathe again.

"So, now that we know how you became the 'Mad Hatter', tell me. What is it with you and your tea fetish?"

After blinking in surprise at the abrupt change in topic, Blood laughed, completely changing the mood. Opening the door, he pulled her hand through the crook of his arm and began leading her down the hallway.

"Well, my dear Alice..."

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><p><strong>9 December 2011 - Completed<strong>


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